Out of one...

Out of one job and into another: this is the advice given to Philip Hammond MP (Conservative Party spending spokesman)..."what he doesn't know about public spending isn't worth knowing." But Dr Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute, believes he needs to become their spokesman on public service renewal based mainly on the [correct] premise that you can't streamline the public sector by Treasury bullying [ring any bells?]

"Instead, you need a complete review of what government does, what it has to do, what it can do better, and what can be done better by other people and by the public. All departments need to buy into that, and it needs a reform, not a finance minister in charge if everyone is going to trust the process and be a part of it. After all, the process may find that spending in some areas should be increased, even if other departments are found to be doing a lot of pointless stuff."

"Why Philip Hammond MP should resign" by Dr Eamonn Butler on the Adam Smith Institute blog [ASI blog]. Dr Butler is author of, amongst other things, "The Rotten State of Britain".

Hat tip; Iain Dale's Diary.